Zoetermeer in the context of "Gelderswoude"

The Randstad (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɑntstɑt] ; "Rim City" or "Edge City") is a roughly crescent- or arc-shaped conurbation in the Netherlands, that includes almost half the country's population. With a central-western location, it connects and comprises the Netherlands' four biggest cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht), their suburbs, and many towns in between, that all grew and merged into each other. Among other things, it includes the Port of Rotterdam (the world's busiest seaport outside Asia), the Port of Amsterdam (Europe's fourth-busiest seaport), and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Europe's fourth-busiest airport). With a population of approximately 8.4 million people it is one of the largest metropolitan regions in Europe, comparable in population size to the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region or the San Francisco Bay Area, and covers an area of approximately 11,372 km (4,391 sq mi). The Randstad had a gross regional domestic product of €510 billion in 2022, making it the second most productive region in the European Union, only behind the Paris metropolitan area. It encompasses both the Amsterdam metropolitan area and Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area. It is part of the larger Blue Banana megalopolis.

The Randstad's main cities are Almere, Amsterdam, Delft, Dordrecht, Haarlem, The Hague, Leiden, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. Other cities and towns include Alkmaar, Alphen aan den Rijn, Amersfoort, Amstelveen, Capelle aan den IJssel, Gouda, Heerhugowaard, Hilversum, Hoofddorp, Hoorn, Lelystad, Nieuwegein, Purmerend, Rijswijk, Schiedam, Spijkenisse, Vlaardingen, Zaandam, Zeist, and Zoetermeer.

Dordrecht (Dutch: [ˈdɔrdrɛxt] ), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, pronounced [dɔrt] ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, and Zoetermeer, with a population of 123,000 (2025).

The municipality covers the entire Dordrecht Island, also often called Het Eiland van Dordt ("the Island of Dordt"), bordered by the rivers Oude Maas, Beneden Merwede, Nieuwe Merwede, Hollands Diep, and Dordtsche Kil. Dordrecht is the largest and most important city in the Drechtsteden and is also part of the Randstad, the main conurbation in the Netherlands.

RandstadRail (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɑntstɑtˌreːl]) is a tram-train network in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area in the west of the Netherlands that is jointly operated by HTM Personenvervoer (HTM) and Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram (RET). It connects the cities of Rotterdam, The Hague and Zoetermeer, primarily using former train and existing tram tracks.

Named after the Randstad conurbation, the light rail network came into operation in 2006, after regular train services on the Hofpleinlijn and Zoetermeer Stadslijn had been discontinued. The system consists of four routes and serves 73 stations, with a total length of approximately 71 kilometres (44 mi). In 2018, it had a daily ridership of around 125,000 passengers.

Zoeterwoude (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌzutərˈʋʌudə] ) is a municipality in the province of South Holland, Western Netherlands. It covers 21.96 km (8.48 sq mi) of which 0.77 km (0.30 sq mi) is water. It had a population of 8,843 in 2021.

Located to the southeast of Leiden and north of Zoetermeer, the municipality of Zoeterwoude consists of Gelderswoude, Weipoort, Westeinde, Zoeterwoude-Dorp, Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk and Zuidbuurt.

Benthuizen is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn and lies about 1 km east of Zoetermeer.

The Groene Hart (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣrunə ˈɦɑrt]; "Green Heart") is a relatively thinly populated area of the Netherlands consisting of pastures and peatlands, covering much of the middle portion of the Randstad megalopolis. The major Dutch cities of Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Haarlem, Amsterdam, and Utrecht surround this area. Cities inside the Groene Hart include Zoetermeer, Alphen aan den Rijn, Gouda, Woerden, and the smaller cities of Schoonhoven, Oudewater, Haastrecht, Nieuwkoop, Montfoort, Waddinxveen, Bodegraven, Vianen and Boskoop.

HTM, officially HTM Personenvervoer NV, formerly Haagsche Tramweg Maatschappij (lit. 'The Hague Tramway Company'), is a public transport operator based in The Hague, Netherlands.

The company operates tram, light rail, and bus services in The Hague and the surrounding Haaglanden region, including Rijswijk, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Delft, Zoetermeer, Wateringen, Pijnacker, and Nootdorp. HTM is a partner in the RandstadRail lightrail network, connecting The Hague with Zoetermeer and Rotterdam in cooperation with RET. The company operates under concessions granted by Metropolitan Region Rotterdam The Hague (MRDH) and is majority-owned by the municipality of The Hague.

Zoetermeer Stadslijn is a light-rail line converted from a former commuter rail line in the Netherlands, between The Hague and Zoetermeer.